


If you give a boy a paper crown

by kayejwrotes



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Haikyuu Summer Camp Zine, Other, Seijoh - Freeform, Summer Camp, aoba johsai, team shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:01:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26919253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kayejwrotes/pseuds/kayejwrotes
Summary: It was the first week after the beginning of summer break.Everyone was in a great mood because summer was here, the weather was fantastic and they were going to be at a camp without adults.But Kindaichi couldn’t exactly let this summery hype envelop him fully like the others. He couldn’t help but have a sort of bittersweet feeling about it if he let himself think that this would be the last summer camp with everyone on the team.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	If you give a boy a paper crown

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this piece with the feeling of summer in my mind. Now it's November and I deeply miss it.  
> I hope you will enjoy this and the other works in the Haikyuu Summer Camp zine (it's free pdf zine! go check it out)!  
> I hope that it will give you a smile! :)

It was the first week after the beginning of summer break. 

Everyone was in a great mood because summer was here, the weather was fantastic and they were going to be at a camp without adults.  
But Kindaichi couldn’t exactly let this summery hype envelop him fully like the others. He couldn’t help but have a sort of bittersweet feeling about it if he let himself think that this would be the last summer camp with everyone on the team.

The coaches have agreed to take them to this summer camping place and leave them on their own for five full days. It’s a big thing, a big responsibility. Someone might say it’s too big of a responsibility to be thrust upon the shoulders of high school kids.  
But it’s also true that Coach Irihata and Mizoguchi are not exactly clueless about their boys.  
They know how the third years are ferociously protective of their kouhais, and that’s reassuring considering they will be the ones “in charge” for those five days. And they know the kids won't do anything too foolish. They trust the third years.

They also personally know the owners of the camping site and have their numbers on speed dial if any problem should arise. 

Anyway, this is the long-awaited camping trip of the end of the school year where traditions are renewed and Oikawa is forced to set up a tent by himself like every year (and like every year, Matsukawa, Hanamaki, and Iwaizumi will come to his help before the tent is beyond any possibility of being set up.)  
But most of all, it's the first camping trip for the first years, the second year will know who'll get to be nominated as next captain and vice-captain.

It's kind of a big deal. One could almost taste the excitement in the air. 

Nevertheless, as they arrive at the camp, Kindaichi can’t help but still feel that uneasiness at the thought that this will be the last summer camp with this team, these people he has come to love and be proud of. 

It’s only the thought of Kunimi looking at him with a smug smirk that keeps him from voicing those thoughts. More than anything, he doesn’t want to be the only soft-hearted in the group right now.  
Mizoguchi and Irihata sensei have driven them to the camp with the old white Seijoh’s school minivans, one full of kids and the other full of camping supplies.  
Mizoguchi had ended up with the short straw, thus having to drive the van full of teenagers, and being forced to listen to - in this order - bad k-pop music, Beyoncé, moody ambience music and old classic rock in a flurry of teens passing the usb cable every ten minutes to put on their favourites, while Irihata had a peaceful drive through the mountains.

It had been a long drive for such a short distance.

As soon as the minivans come to a stop, the team spills out, the boys stretching and breathing fresh air while talking excitedly with each other. 

Mizoguchi can’t help but look at them all fondly. These kids.

They get again a rundown of how the camp works, the last recommendations and then they wave them goodbye leaving them to their own for the next few days.  
From the rearview mirror of the van, he can see Oikawa starting to impart directions and instructions, and the sight leaves him with a sort of heavy feeling in the stomach. It’s the last year for these kids he has grown fond of.  
It’s with this thought that the camp disappears from the rearview mirror, a flurry of dust following him and Irihata as they start the drive back.

******

Meanwhile, coaches already forgotten, the camping experience is in full swing.  
Oikawa, as the captain, has started giving out orders and assigning tasks right away, and everyone is already at work.

The tents are set up quickly and the first years are saddled with the first round of cleaning and cooking duty after a quite insightful exchange between Matsukawa and Hanamaki.

"We are too old for this Issei!" Hanamaki dramatically declares, flopping backwards against Matsukawa while they are bringing cookware to the kitchen lodge, right hand elegantly poised in a fatigued pose against his forehead. A true lady.

"I know, Takahiro, I know, we are all fragile bones and decaying skin, we can't even lift up water bottles anymore …" 

Matsukawa’s voice is as flat as a disk, while Kunimi watches the scene unfold with a look of distrustful interest as he passes the hammer to Kindaichi. Whenever those two are doing their thing, that’s usually the moment he’ll try to make himself as scarce as possible.

"I get it, I get it, “ Hanamaki says brightly, looking at the two boys. “Kindaichi will be the perfect one for the job, right?" 

Kindaichi looks around feeling his name called and Kunimi is regretting not having left sooner.

"... As if he could say anything different," he mutters while starting to retreat, but Hanamaki his quick to plop some pans into his arms.

"Kunimi, we've raised you better than that! Don't talk back to your parents!" 

"You are not my parents." It’s the reply devoid of any emotion like the ones Hanamaki probably doesn’t have for him since the pans are quite heavy and the bastard is smiling brightly.

For all his grouchiness though, he’s already nudging Kindaichi into action and Hanamaki and Matsukawa are smirking at the sight. 

"Gasp! The audacity! Such a betrayal!" he calls after them while they are already going away, and he laughs when he sees Kunimi flip him the bird, “Works every time.” 

Matsukawa claps him on the back with a lazy grin, “They are still our kids.”

******

In the next few days, the team gets through the whole camping experience.  
Oikawa has planned carefully every single moment, not leaving out anything from his list.

They go on excursions on the most famous trails of the region, they play games, and of course, they train, because Iwaizumi would never leave a bit of training out of their regime, (“ _It’s fundamental for your development as players. We won’t skip a single day._ ”)

The most memorable part of all this, though, it’s the grocery trip they are forced to take for the barbecue they'll hold the last day.

That morning, Matsukawa is unexpectedly the one that wakes them all up early, mentioning the importance of having a detailed list of things to buy for the barbecue.  
It’s fundamental. They can’t go unprepared on this quest.  
Hanamaki throws him his slipper and goes back to bed.  
Anyway, in the end, the whole team goes to the grocery store in the closest town. 

It isn’t too far from the camping site, but they still have to walk for a while under the midday sun and end up arriving at the grocery store sweaty and thirsty.  
Even Watari had started to question the necessity of needing groceries for the barbecue at some point.  
As they enter the grocery store, they get hit with fresh air blasting at full power from the air conditioners.  
There’s a communal sigh of relief and Watari vows to never doubt the need for groceries.

Iwaizumi swears that he sees Yahaba hugging a bag of frozen peas at some point.

Anyway, grocery shopping with the whole team is a nightmare, a nightmare.  
Iwaizumi will never do something like that again. It's like trying to herd a group of monkeys high on sugar.  
They have a list, but strangely the cart keeps getting loaded with random food like dried strings of meat that _are not_ on the list.  
It becomes a game of Iwaizumi pushing the cart as fast as he can through the isles and dodging his teammates as they add unlisted things to it.  
In the end, they still go back to the camp with a bag of dried mangos strips covered in spicy red powder and lots of weird coloured syrupy bottles of soda.

But they get the meat, and Iwaizumi decides to count that as a personal victory.

*******

And it’s with that spirit, that the last day comes and so the night of the celebratory barbecue.  
The third years disappear for the whole day to prepare the "ceremony", cutting up paper crowns and preparing the meat for the barbecue (Iwaizumi and Hanamaki, they are the only ones to be trusted with such a delicate operation), while the others are free to relax for once.

When the evening approaches they suddenly reappear. 

The grill it's started and the party can begin, everyone is enjoying themselves and the atmosphere it's light.  
They have cleared a huge space among their tents, setting up a table with drinks - even the syrupy sodas make their appearance there- and the heavenly smell of grilled meat permeates the warm evening air as plates full of it and even of roasted vegetables are passed around.

Everyone is chatting and laughing, until the time to roast the marshmallows comes. 

It’s weird. One moment they’re roasting marshmallows around the bonfire Matsukawa and Kyoutani have prepared, still laughing and chatting, and the next one, when Watari munches the last gooey marshmallow on his stick’, all the light-heartedness from before seems absent as Oikawa stands up in the middle of the circle where they are sitting on the cool grass.

He comes forward with an air about himself that has a sense of finality as if he’s squaring down for a hard task.  
Silence falls. 

Kunimi would like to laugh at the scene, but everyone looks kind of tense and the thought dies quickly.

“So, as you know, this is our last night here,” Oikawa begins with the same gesture he does before matches. He’s watching them all in the eyes, one by one, opening his arms wide as if beckoning them closer.

“Tomorrow, we’ll grab our things, clean this place, and while we pack the last things, the coaches will arrive. We’ll load the vans and while we go back there will be few talks and lots of snoring. We’ll be tired and content and when we’ll get back to Aoba Johsai we’ll part with smiles.”

Oikawa’s smiling, but he’s the only one.  
“As you know, starting from tomorrow, we third years won’t be part of the team anymore. This is our last day on it.”  
  
Oikawa is still smiling but his eyes are a bit glassy and Iwaizumi - strong and fierce Iwaizumi - is biting his lower lip in a nervous manner.

Kindaichi feels the prickle of tears. He’d never meant to get so attached to his senpais but this goodbye is hurting him deeper than what he expected.

“We are proud of what we did in these three years, keeping up Seijoh’s reputation as a powerhouse and building this team with you all. We would have never been able to get to such victories without you all.  
Our only regret as your senpais, it’s that we were not strong enough to get you to the Nationals, but you are and you’ll grow even more next year and the year after.  
I’m certain you’ll get on that court.”

“We’ll cheer you on from the sidelines,” Hanamaki comments from Oikawa’s side. He’s winking and smiling, but it’s clear this is hard for him too.

“Anyway,” Oikawa interjects clapping his hands loudly, “This is not the time to wallow in misery! We should celebrate!”  
With a flourish, Matsukawa presents them with the wonkiest paper crown ever made. It’s clear that whoever did that tried their best, but it’s still a wonky little thing.

The one Iwaizumi takes out from a bag it’s a lot better and even, compared to the first one.

Everyone starts giggling because it’s clear who made the two crowns.

Also, Oikawa’s cheeks are suspiciously rosy.

He takes the crown from Matsukawa’s hands and presents it proudly to the group.

“Now… we’ve had lots of discussions about who the next captain would be.   
I know it’s almost a formality by now, but I think you all will agree with me to say Yahaba is the perfect one for this job,” Oikawa declares with a smile, as Yahaba becomes suddenly really pale and then red as a tomato.

“We all agreed that you’d be the only one capable of keeping in check our lovely Kyouken-chan here,” Iwaizumi thinks this is the dirtiest stare he’s ever seen Kyoutani give Oikawa, “but also because you’ll be the one to bring this team to the Nationals. We believe in you Shigeru, do you?”

Oikawa’s speech is short, but his final words rest heavy in the silence that’s fallen among them, just like when he looks them all before doing a risky play.  
The responsibility is great and the possibilities that he’ll never be as good as his senpais even greater, but if he’s learnt something by his teammates is that you’ll never get anywhere if you don’t try.  
Yahaba picks up with just a slight tremor in his fingers the horrible paper crown that’s in Oikawa’s outstretched hand.

“I - I’ll do my best, senpai.”

Oikawa hugs him tightly as the others erupt in cheers and the party resumes, “That’s enough Shigeru, you’ll be enough.”

If there’s more than one pair of damp eyes as everyone looks at the new captain and the old one, no one comments on it.

********

The next morning the coaches are there on time to pick them up right after lunch. Everything is packed and the kids are ready to load their bags on the vans.   
Mizoguchi grins smugly at their tired faces. This will be a quiet drive.  
Everyone crashes as soon as they hit the comfy seats of the van, and the drive back toward Seijoh is full of silence and soft snoring. 

The only one who wakes up at some point is Yahaba. He keeps looking at something, and from the rearview mirror, Mizoguchi can see a fairly done paper crown.  
He keeps turning it in his hands, all the even spikes passing one by one against the palms of his hands as he is deep in thought.  
Sometimes as he drives, he catches him looking pensively at his snoring teammates as if he’s assessing them.

Mizoguchi doesn’t bother asking him what he’s doing.  
He knows from a text he has received from Iwaizumi last night, that Yahaba is going to be the next captain. Surely, choosing his vice-captain is not a simple task, but he trusts his boys.

They’ll be a good team.

**Author's Note:**

> As always thank you for reading this! <3  
> Kudos and comments feed my muse, and I'd love to know what you think about this piece!  
> If you'd like to chat a bit about Seijoh shenanigans and other things you can reach out to me on tumblr, twitter or curiouscat @kayejwrotes


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